DoD Information Collections

 

 

Public Collections Overview

All DoD information collections from members of the public must be approved by OMB and assigned an OMB Control Number. OMB Control Numbers must be displayed prominently on the collection instrument along with its associated expiration date.

In most circumstances, OMB Control Numbers are valid for 3 years. When an OMB Control Number nears expiration, DoD must reapply for OMB's approval or cancel the collection in order to prevent violations of the Paperwork Reduction Act.

 

OMB Control Number Prefixes

The first four digits (0701) identify to which Component the collection belongs. The last four (0100) identify the specific collection belonging to that Component. In the above example, this would be the 100th collection belonging to the Department of the Air Force.

The complete list of OMB Control Number prefixes for DoD and their respective Components is listed below:

  • 0701 - Air Force
  • 0702 - Army
  • 0703 - Navy
  • 0704 - Most OSD Components
  • 0710 - Army Corps of Engineers
  • 0720 - Defense Health Agency
  • 0730 - Comptroller
  • 0750 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement
  • 0790 - Rule-Related collections for OSD (rare)

Types of Requests

Based on the status of your information collection and whether the collection is changing substantially from any previous OMB approvals, there are several types of reviews you may request. 

  • New Collection: Request for a new OMB Control Number of a collection that DoD has not previously used or sponsored.
  • Existing Collection in Use without an OMB Control Number:  Request for collections DoD is already using or sponsoring that do not have an OMB Control Number.
  • Revision of a Currently Approved Collection:  Request for approved collections that require substantive changes (e.g., major changes to the instrument, the burden imposed on the public, the collection frequency, or the collection purpose). If approved, revisions extend the OMB Control Number for a further three years.
  • Extension of a Currently Approved Collection: Extensions are used for currently approved collections that do not require substantive changes.  If approved, Extensions will extend the OMB Control Number expiration date by a further three years.
  • Reinstatement (with change) of a Previously Approved Collection: Expired collections with substantive changes
  • Reinstatement (without change) of a Previously Approved Collection: Expired collections with no changes
  • Generic IC: OMB devised the generic clearance to streamline the clearance process. Generic clearances may contain many different collections as long as they have the same purpose. Reviews occur in two steps: (1) review of the overall plan that follows the normal clearance procedures; and (2) review of the specific data collection that requires minimal documentation and no public comment periods.
  • Request for Emergency Clearance:  DoD may request an emergency clearance from OMB when DoD cannot reasonably comply with normal clearance procedures due to potential for public harm (e.g., public health epidemics); unanticipated events (e.g., natural disasters); and the normal clearance procedures will likely cause statutory or court ordered deadlines to be missed or the information collection to be prevented or disrupted.


    Note: If emergency clearance is granted, OMB approval lasts for 180 days from the date of request. During this time period, DoD must prepare a follow-up collection package using the normal processing procedures